Forget the wind and rain outside, folks, your trusty Empire news team is here with a breaking weather alert that’ll be sure to quicken the heart of any movie buff. Days Of Thunder 2. Summer 2028. Yup, you heard us right: our world-exclusive Digger issue cover star, Mr. Movies himself Tom Cruise, is revving up to return to the role of hotshot NASCAR driver Cole Trickle in a sequel to Tony Scott’s 1990 rubber-burning racing classic, set to hit cinemas two years from now. And what’s more, he’s bringing actual Anne Hathaway along for the ride, too, as you can see in the duo’s official announcement video below;
Annie in a cowgirl hat. Cruise beaming a megawatt grin. Daytona’s legendary asphalt track beneath their feet, souped-up stock car emblazoned with that iconic Days Of Thunder logo behind them, and the promise of an adrenalised Summer 2028 ahead. You really can’t stop the thunder, can you? And while Anne Hathaway has the small matter of impending childbirth to prepare for before she puts the pedal to the metal with Cruise on his latest high-octane legacyquel (Deadline reports the Oscar-winner will play a team leading engineer in the film), there’s already an undeniable early buzz that — whisper it! — we may have another Top Gun Maverick situation on our hands here. Even if we don’t know just yet how exactly a sequel to Scott’s OG dirtrags-to-Victory-Lane-riches tale will shake out in terms of plot and premise.
While story specifics are under wraps for now, there are some things we do know. Long Shot and Warm Bodies director Jonathan Levine — whose upcoming David Corenswet vehicle Mr. Irrelevant, itself a sports drama, has been scoring raves with test audiences and hits cinemas this Christmas Day — is set to helm the movie, which is being filmed for IMAX. Without Remorse scribe Will Staples is tackling the script, with Cruise producing alongside Jerry Bruckheimer and Tommy Harper. And, most importantly, we also know that with Cruise and Hathaway front and centre, we are already beyond hyped to hit the track with Trickle one more time. Vroom vroom!
